Arthroplasty is commonly used to repair and replace joints damaged from wear, injury, and/or disease. Common arthroplasty procedures can include joint remodel or repair, or implantation of an artificial joint or joint component or implant. Arthroplasty procedures can be used to repair many different joints and joint-like areas in the body, such as the knee, hip, elbow, shoulder, or spine.
The success of an arthroplasty procedure can often be correlated to the degree of fit between the artificial joint or joint components and the patient's surrounding body structures. That is, improving the fit between an artificial joint component and the surrounding bones, cartilage, and musculature may reduce stress on the affected joint and associated structures. This, in turn, may reduce the likelihood of the patient requiring subsequent joint repair, and may also reduce overall complications experienced by the patient during and/or after the arthroplasty procedure.
In an arthroplasty procedure involving the use of an implant to repair a damaged joint, the damaged joint may be prepared for the implant prior to implantation. For example, in a knee arthroplasty procedure, the femur and/or tibia may be treated (e.g., cut, drilled, reamed and/or resurfaced) to provide one or more surfaces that are configured to receive the implant. Certain surgical tools, such as arthroplasty jigs, may be used to accurately position and/or control one or more of the instruments that are used to provide such treatment, such as saws, drills, reamers, and the like. Arthroplasty jigs may be configured with apertures or slots to control the position, length, and/or depth of the instruments. Moreover, enhanced accuracy and precision may be provided in an arthroplasty procedure by using custom or patient-specific arthroplasty jigs. Such arthroplasty jigs are configured for use in certain anatomical target sites of a particular patient. Examples of arthroplasty jigs, including custom arthroplasty jigs, are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/641,569, filed Dec. 18, 2006, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/642,385, filed Dec. 19, 2006, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/656,323, filed Jan. 19, 2007, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
It would be desirable to provide methods and/or tools for making arthroplasty jigs, including custom or patient-specific arthroplasty jigs, relatively efficiently. For example, it would be desirable to provide methods that reduce the time and/or cost associated with the fabrication of arthroplasty jigs. It would also be desirable to provide methods that result in enhanced accuracy and precision in the manufacturing of arthroplasty jigs, such as custom arthroplasty jigs.